More Articles

An angry Franklin County Common Pleas judge threw a 20-year-old University District woman into
jail yesterday after she admitted that she’d smoked marijuana before pleading guilty to the
hit-skip death of a Columbus man.

Judge Mark A. Serrott said it was “ridiculous” that Jasmine J. Herring, of 361 Clinton St., had
been using drugs before coming to court to plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter, leaving the
scene of an accident and tampering with evidence in the July 3 death of 21-year-old Elijah
Smith.

Serrott set a bond hearing for 9 a.m. Thursday to decide whether Herring should remain in jail
while she awaits her May 29 sentencing. He said he heard that she had been “out clubbing” and so
questioned her about drug use during her plea hearing yesterday.

The defense and prosecuting attorneys recommended a sentence of four years and 11 months in
prison, with early release possible. Serrott said he didn’t know whether he would accept that
recommendation.

Smith, 21, of E. 11th Avenue, was riding his bicycle home from his job at a manufacturing plant
about 4 a.m. when he was struck near Woodland and Woodward avenues on the North Side.

Columbus Police Sgt. Brooke Wilson said Herring was driving a Volkswagen Passat when she struck
Smith from behind. Smith landed in the middle of the intersection and was found a short time later
by a passerby, who called 911, Wilson said.

“There’s no question she saw him,” Wilson said. He said she told police she was alone in the
car.

Some of the car’s parts fell into the intersection, and police found the Volkswagen behind a
vacant house where Herring had “dumped” it, Wilson said. She was indicted in September.

Smith’s family did not attend yesterday’s hearing. Smith was on life support and declared brain
dead after being struck. Lifeline of Ohio went to court to obtain permission to harvest his organs
after his family objected.

Smith had said he wanted to be an organ and tissue donor when he applied for his driver’s
license in September, and a judge ruled that, under the law, that decision could not be reversed by
family members.